Who Is The Candy Butcher?

Doing some research for a friend's vaudeville show, I ran across the fascinating view of the world of circus concessions. Nestled neatly in there, you'll find a nice explanation for the term "The Candy Butcher". I thought that it was pretty interesting. Particularly the casual use of circus slang. "Rubbers", "Chinese" "Flukem", "Hype" and "Ways". I love knowing all of those obscure circus terms.

Question: 19 January, 2006 - Hello, What is a Candy Butcher? Thanks for your reply. Falcocchio, James J.,

Reply: 20 January, 2006 - James, Candy Butcher is a term used for concession venders who sell their food items in the seating area during the main circus performance. They sell, or "hawk" items such as cotton candy (sometimes called "floss"), snow-cones, candy apples, popcorn & cracker jacks. The term also seems to apply to those who sell hot-dogs and cold drinks. On tented circuses, the candy butchers are often responsible for setting up and tearing down the seats, and quite often drive the show trucks from town to town. I understand that they receive a base salary, then get a % off their sales. Jim Cole

Reply: 20 January, 2006 - The term candy butcher as applied to concession people on circuses is thought to have originated when hard blocks of candy which had to be cut into pieces for sale. If you go to the European fair grounds today you will still see vendors cutting different types of block candy, fudge, etc. into sale size portions.
The candy pitch came into the outdoor show world in the 1860's. Box candy - 7-8 pieces with a prize in some of the boxes. The first prizes used were wire iterms - small pieces of jewelry. First it was pitched in the side shows and then in the main show. Up until the 1960's or so - it helped move a lot of shows from circuses - auto thrill shows to tent rep theatres. Candy butchers sold the prize candy not only on outdoor shows but in theatres, especially burlesque theatres. It was a big item in all the sit down carnival shows. Authorities cracked down on the candy pitch sales in the late 1950's and the six or seven big supply houses stopped shipping it. The die hard carny girl show operators who still used it brought the candy kisses, boxes, and supplies of cheap pens and stuffed their own boxes. On circuses it was replaced by the peanut pitch. The candy butcher had to make up the candy boxes and the peanut sacks. Now you can buy the peanuts bagged. (see Girl Show: Into The Canvas World Of Bump and Grind -ECW PRESS 1999 for a complete chapter on candy pitchmen).
The early circuses contracted out their concession dept., side show, concert, etc. In many cases one operator bid or paid the show so much for these privileges for the tour. Many of the big shows continued to contract their concessions out. The Miller Bros. ran the concessions on the Ringling tent show in the 1940's and 1950's. The concessions and front end money on the lot was very important, many days it was the difference from getting the nut and not getting the nut. On the indoor circuses it was a terrific advantage as many of the buildings didn't have butchers in the seats. Often they only had one or two stands and they had small windows. The per caps on concessions were always higher on the indoor shows.
On tent circus the butchers were always paid on percent until recently. Those folks you see walking around aimlessly with a tray of half melted snow cones at the circus today are not 'candy butchers' but at best sales staff on the line of fast food servers. Old time butchers were hustlers. They didn't want anything to do with salaries.
I started in the concession end of the circus business in 1963 as the last of the old time butchers were fading out. A high lined crew got a show a lot of money every day. They also did 'chinese'- that is they did a lot of the set-up work each day in return for their meals in the cookhouse and a berth in a show sleeper. On Sells and Gray I had the snow and apples and we set up the long side reserve chair grandstand and hung side wall. We put up the marquee and unfolded the side show front panel wagons. Then we set-up our individual joints. About half of the old timers on Sells and Gray when I was there held IASE stage hand cards and that's what they did in the winter. Others made the Football Bowl Parades, Daytona races, and Mardi Gras parades working what ever items they could get.
The concession manager was usually paid 30 points. Stand men got 20 and butchers ten to fifteen. Items were priced in "Ways", a way = a nickel. On a quarter item you were said to being going 5 ways. Of course if you could get away with going for 30 or 35 cents and pocketing the (cake) or hype - you did it. You also rehashed empty bags, sacks, cups as your were checked out by the container and not the product. On hot dogs they didn't count the meat but the buns.
The items were given out so that each stand guy had a cold and hot day items. The popcorn or cracker jacks, peanuts and soda together, soda or flukem (orange and grape drinks mixed from powder) and hot dogs, snow cones and candy apples, floss was such a powerful item that it was a single joint. Overall it was the biggest money maker except on hot days where snow and soda was right up there. In the early spring and fall popcorn did well. Candy ran hot and cold - very good in the south and north east - slow in the mid-west. Another big item was the garbage (souvenirs) and the rubber -(balloons), programs and coloring books, bugs (chamelons), hats - with free engraving. Only the big shows had custard or ice cream. The garbage butcher worked what he called a 'bundle' - a leather strap over the shoulder attached to a small pouch into which the bottom ends of the sticks the souvenirs were tied could fit into so he could carry a lot of them around and still have both hands free to work and make change. Everyone wore change aprons with three pockets.
The food items were sent into the big top in an order. That is dry first. Once people were ready to almost kill you for a drink - then the wet went in. Candy apples didn't go in until the last couple of acts. Reason - it takes too long to eat an apple. Garbage, programs, coloring books were worked in the top all the time but the rubber was not brought in until the last couple of acts. Reason - so not to block peoples' view of the show - kids waving balloons in people's faces. Today's operators don't care or pay any attention to such policies.
The circus business today sure could use sold time butchers like Johnny Walker, Noble Sims, Jimmy Kernan, High Pockets, Never Worry Murray, Peter and Paul Prance, Mother Bruce, and the many more old time hustlers who weren't afraid to be high steppin' it the end blues. - Al Stencell, proud to be a candy butcher. P.S. Many butchers also became show owners.

Reply: 26 January, 2006 - Al Stencell is 100% right on everything he said about candy butchers, as a kid growing up my father would go to visit any circus that came within 150 miles of us, and of course I was always the first one in the car, and the first one out when we'd hit the lot! I remember many times getting a bigger "kick" out of watching the butchers than I did watching the show, the old time butchers were skilled craftsmen who spent years perfecting thier craft. The last real candy butchers I was around was on the Hoxie show when Johnny Walker Sr. was concession manager. Also quite a few of the old butchers were also "dingers" posing as war veterans and wearing a vet's cap, they would work parades, shopping center or grocery store parking lots,etc, they would pass out or pin on your lapel a little american flag and then ask for a little donation "for the boys!" the little old gray haired ladies were always an easy touch. Bobby Fairchild